I fell in love with Tess Sharpe’s writing when I read The Girls I’ve Been in 2021. The book blew my mind. I had high hopes for this new book and it did not disappoint. As complicated as Penny and Tate’s relationship is, Penny’s with her mom, Lottie, is even more so. For me it was the most painful part of the novel to read, even while Sharpe is careful to not make Lottie a simple villain. I mean, she’s giving her best friend half of her liver! But particularly as a new parent, reading about a parent who emotionally and physically abandons her kid in her grief for her husband was agonizing. On the one hand, I can’t imagine losing my partner suddenly in a tragic accident, and of course I have no idea how I would cope. On the other hand, I can’t imagine not putting my kid’s well being first and not openly communicating with and going through the process of grief with them instead of shutting them out. Sharpe smartly doesn’t wrap up Penny and Lottie’s story arc; there’s no moment where Lottie does a grand apology or where Penny forgives her. The focus is on Penny as her own person; she makes her own steps forward in healing journey apart from her mom, which is so affirming to witness. With a title like that, there was no way I was passing up the opportunity to read. 6 Times We Almost Kissed is a heartfelt story about family and love. It’s a YA contemporary about bravery, facing our fears, and confronting the past. Keep reading this book review for my full thoughts. Summary

Possibly the most powerful, original female character we've had in decades." —New York Journal of Books I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher (thank you!) in exchange for an honest review. **

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Although it doesn’t take away from it being a five-star read for me, I did struggle with the structure of the narrative. The story is told through a dual perspective narrative and although I really enjoyed having both Penny and Tate’s perspectives as they provided really distinctive takes on the story, I didn’t like that was no pattern to whose chapter was whose. Whilst traditionally in a dual perspective narrative you might see the chapters alternate, in Six Times We Almost Kissed it flits between perspectives quite willy-nilly. I’m conscious that this is just something which goes against my personal preference and I did get used to it as the book progressed, which is why it hasn’t impacted on my star rating. This book is powerful. It is moving, it made me cry in so many spots. It mad Penny and Tate were destined to be around one another constantly...but they haven't always enjoyed each other's company. After all, their mothers have been best friends for ages, so they HAD to grit their teeth through many a movie marathon or playdate they would have rather avoided. Penny tragically lost her father, leaving her and her mother Lottie with a strained relationship, and it seems like this tragedy alone Tate was there when Penny’s mom came to live with them and she knows just how bad it was. She knows how badly Penny’s mom still treats Penny. And she’s not afraid to call it out to Penny if for no other reason than to let Penny know that what going on isn’t okay. Now Marion, Penny's gran and her dad's mum, was incredible. She was everything Penny needed despite losing her son. I can't really put into words how amazing she was. I hope everyone going through loss and grief has a Marion to help them through it.

What left me wanting more: I struggled a bit with the relationship and understanding why they were so resistant to it. This was not fully explained to the reader, particularly in the later parts of the book as it builds to something that did not fully make sense. It was then tough to follow the outcomes from that and really get what was happening next and why. I am leaving this vague to avoid spoilers, but considering the book is described around their relationship, I wanted it to have a powerful and understandable path/ending. Perhaps, if you read it without expectations around the kisses or almost-kisses, it makes a bit more sense. Anna was great. She's what a mum should be. She and Tate had a lovely relationship. I just wish she could have done more for Lottie and Penny. Tess Sharpe’s newest book is 6 Times We Almost Kissed (And One Time We Did), a story of two queer girls who find themselves under the same roof when their moms (who are best friends) decide they all should move in together. Why? Because one mom is giving her liver to the other. In case it is not extremely clear with my review, I highly recommend Six Times We Almost Kissed (And One Time We Did) to fans of contemporary young adult fiction. Sharpe’s prose throughout the novel is thoughtful and evocative. She writes alternating chapters from Penny and Tate’s point of views, and their voices are clearly differentiated. Tate’s distracted mind often inserts parenthetical asides. Penny’s voice oozes with her practicality and tendency to organize. Simple metaphors and similes are incredibly effective at revealing the girls’ emotions, especially about each other. Tate tells us: “I’m sitting here, hanging on her words like she’s a cliff I’ve slipped from.” Penny thinks, after Tate says “Penny”:First of all, the audiobook is narrated by the author and my previous experiences of authors narrating their own books weren’t great but this one was excellent. I loved all the characters, how their inner complexities are unveiled progressively, how relatable they all feel. At seventeen, both MCs have already gone through a lot of drama yet are so sweet and full of life and plans for the future. The moms are very different but their ride-or-die friendship makes a lot of sense. Penny’s mom is hardened by the pain weighing her down and it makes her hard to love but it also makes her relatable, and I love the way the author wrote her relationships with both her daughter and her mother-in-law. The grandmother is awesome, but again, not in a too-good-to-be-true way. Same for the MCs’ best friends. The two central characters in 6 Times We Almost Kissed are 17-year-old teen girls, Penny and Tate. Both are such full, real young women it’s a bit hard for me to remember that they are fictional! Tate has a reputation for being cold and aloof, which stems from her trying to keep herself together while her single mom has gone through not one but two major health crises. She cares very deeply for the few people she’s let get close to her and is incredibly loyal. She is a hardworking star on her swim team whose goal is to score a sports scholarship so she can go to college and earn enough so that her mom doesn’t have to worry about money anymore. Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.) This is way more than the lighthearted YA love story that the title gives off. It's a gorgeous yet oft-heartbreaking examination of grief, trauma, mental health, healthcare, friendship, parenting, and more. Penny and Tate are real, flawed characters who have been dealt a terrible hand in life and are just trying to survive. Penny and Tate set some ground rules for their new lives on top of each other, but complicated feelings keep swirling. While everyone seems sure they will in their will-they-won't-they style of relationship, Penny and Tate are not ready to consider what that could mean.

I will give a trigger warning for emotional abuse. Penny’s mom is… a lot. And she doesn’t show who she is to Penny to everyone. She’s fine with Tate’s mom. She’s even ok with Tate. But Penny is manipulative and neglectful. This book is hard, yo. There is a lot of grief and loss to wade through, especially as it manifests so differently for so many people; and these characters are no exception. And, hey. Do you also love fraught mother-daughter dynamics? Because this has that, too. I do not love that dynamic, I find it incredibly horrible to experience, but instead of ruining the book (which has definitely happened to me before) I can respect it because Sharpe did such a great job with.. well, everything.

But beyond all of that, the two girls are also dealing with their very real feelings for each other. Feelings they will never admit to one another. Well…until they do.

Told through the two girls’ present, and six moments from their past, this dynamic love story shows that sometimes the person you need the most has been there for you all along.The way the story shows this type of abuse is so important because it’s often not seen as a legitimate type of abuse. Penny’s story will show just how harmful emotional abuse is and how dark it can be. Times We Almost Kissed (And One Time We Did) by Tess Sharpe is a beautiful young adult novel that follows the lives of Penny and Tate, two girls who have always clashed but whose paths constantly cross because of their mothers' epic friendship. When a long-awaited surgery forces both families to live together, the girls can't ignore their reluctantly shared past… including all those times they've almost kissed. really enjoyed this!!!! i mostly listened to the audiobook and the narration was incredible!!!! i can't believe tess sharpe narrated it herself? multitalented queen! The way that the trauma, and after-trauma, has been depicted in this book is so wonderfully done. My heart aches for both our main characters throughout so many parts of this book. Harley is one of the most complex, fascinating, dangerous characters I've encountered in years." —Lisa Gardner